Father's Day Specials + more...

With Father's Day just around the corner 5th September, last minute shopping ideas and sale specials over at:

• Country Road & Trenery – 25% off men's polos and tees
• 20% off Men's wallets and accessories range at Oroton
• 15% off Corban & Blair
• Polo Promo (buy two for $89.95) at French Connection
• Heaps of father's day giveaways on Bellasugar like men's Triology pack, CK perfume pack + more...

Stay tuned for more Father's day gift ideas. And don't forget....

• Mon Tresor has "free shipping" till the end of august! Sign up to their newsletter for your chance to win a $50 gift voucher!
• Over at Little Bird Decor - Agoo Leg Warmers are now reduced to $10.00 from $14.99.
• There is a special facebook offer at My Little Jedi. Tell Vesna your favourite product from their collection, and receive 20% off the next purchase.
• Subscribe to our MumsXclusive SALES Alert Newsletter and be in the draw to WIN a $500 coles/MYER Gift Card. 
• See Best Buys 4 Baby's sales listing

Yoghurt

August's ingredient of the month is yoghurt. I hate yoghurt, (I do like frozen yoghurt but thats not real yoghurt). My dietitian says I have to learn to like it. Apparently the good bacteria for my body such as lactobacillus acidophilus outweighs my decision not to eat it. To encourage me, my dietician said to 'be creative and come up with a unique combo with fruit, granola, cereal and nuts' as well as to try different yoghurt flavours. The trouble is I don't like cereal, grains or nuts!

I do like the idea of building my yoghurt like a parfait with lots of yummy sweet layers or a yoghurt mousse or as cupcake icing fancy like strawberry rhubarb and youghurt cupcake ... or maybe if I serve it into a nice cocktail glass as if its a dessert? Ok so these are different ways to avoid eating the yoghurt raw...

So, what are your favourite yoghurt combos? What some tips getting over the yoghurt taste? Can I just have a banana smoothie instead?!

Image source 1, 2

POLKA is coming...

We here at Chic Mother & Baby headquarters eagerly await the arrival of POLKA kids - its bold, fun and uber trendy!!! There are dresses, tees, shorts, swimwear, pjs shoes and accessories for your toddler and tween.

Keep up-to-date via our facebook page or see our POLKA page. You can definitely pre-order, simply email us to put one away. We also have a lay-by service so you don't miss out.

Meet Mon Tresor

Mon Tresor owned by yummy mummy of 2, Suzanna has just launched Mon Tresor's website. It's full of gorgeous gifts and little treasures for kids and mums eager to throw a chic and stylish birthday party.

There is free shipping for orders in August, enter FREESHIP at checkout. There are always new additions to the web store. PLUS a $50 voucher to be won if you sign up to the newsletter.

I got to know the part-time working mum a little...

Whats your day-to-day job?
I am a primary school teacher and currently work 2 days a week, and the remaining days I juggle between looking after my 2 year old Maddox, as well as working on and creating pieces for Mon Tresor.

How did Montresor come about? What does it mean?
Mon Tresor was born 2 years ago after the birth of my second son. I have always loved creating and making a range of different products and being at home full time was the perfect opportunity to start up my little business.

I began making hair accessories and all things girly and it has grown frothere. Mon Tresor means {My Treasure} and the name was chosen because of my love for all things French and chic.

What are your favourite items from your store?
I love lots of different pieces but my favourite items at the moment are the ruffled flower handmade headbands. Unique, chic and perfect for mums and girls.

What challenges come with handmade products?
A lot of hard work goes into creating handmade products. From sourcing the materials, to sitting and creating hem..A lot of hard work and long hours but it is definitely rewarding and all worth the while, especially when people provide beautiful feedback.

What are your favourite party themes?
They are always constantly changing as there is so much eye candy out there! I am loving all things natural at the moment, along the lines of noah's ark and nautical, especially as we are heading into spring/summer.

What other products are you hoping to bring in store?
I am working on a few exciting handmade hair accessories that will be in store soon as well as continuing to source unique products for stylish little people.

Whats next for Mon Tresor?
Another one of my passions is party styling and with the inspirations from so many gorgeous parties that have been featured across blogs, and from the super talented Queen of all Parties Amy Atlas, another direction Mon Tresor will be heading into is party hiring of stylish products to create the perfect dessert party table. Stay tuned!
 
From L-R: Red Cloud Notebook, Robert Gordon Memo Frame, Doggy Backpack, ruffled flower handmade headbands and cupcake toppers.

My Colour Palette: Lilac & Green

This soft and gentle colour palette was inspired by Sophie & Jack's purple daisy fabric hair ties.

1. Green Twine available at My Little Jedi 2. Sophie & Jack purple daisy hairties 3. Ah Tissue Pom Poms 4. Lox + Savvy green note block available at Paper Scissors Rock Stationery.

Lima Bean ChangeMate

The Lima Bean ChangeMate are just that.. a great accessory for changing bub out & about! I can fit everything I need into this handy fold out change mat, and it fits neatly into my handbag! Gone are the days of taking the nappy bag everywhere!

I love the colourful designs also, making them a bit more stylish then the normal change mats. They also wipe clean and are waterproof!

Check out the other designs available in store now. Plus free shipping at the moment! Enter FreeShipAug at checkout.

Kristy

Little Man Tea Party

If you are obsessed with the moustaches then this little man tea party is for you.

This has got to be one of my favourite parties for a boy. With Father's day around the corner I were researching for bowties when I came across this amusing party. It has our sense of humour written all over and its low budget, minimal effort and creative - what a clever mum!

Moustache drawn onto the paper cups, shirt drawn onto napkins and faces drawn onto the paper plates. It is not only simple but its unique. Each boy becomes a little man character wearing a tie or bowtie.

Love love love this idea.

Bank in Style...

Saving all your dollars in style!

{1} Porcelain Piggy {2} Signature Elegant Baby  {3} Hand painted ceramic Elegant Baby animal banks {4} Animal Money Banks

i Heart DIVINE TWINE

Forget ribbons, it's all about TWINE at the Tmoment. Loving divine twine™– it's made from 100% cotton, super soft, bio-degradable and eco-friendly (I just got mine in the mail from Miss Vesna :)

There are endless uses for twine - wrapping, gift tags, invites and banners. Twine is a great embellishment to creating nice packages.

Available at My Little Jedi. It's sold by the metre and there are all the colour of the rainbows to choose from. I got a metre of each cause I couldn't decide.


Images are from Whisker Graphics who created the labels for divine twine.

Mee a Bee collaborates with klt:works

Jacqui from Mee a Bee has teamed up with Kristin from klt:works to create their signature products with the same fabric print. Two creative ladies have come together after meeting at Paper n Snitch to create klt works loves Mee a Bee.

You get a Mee a Bee Messenger Style Bag / Satchel and klt:works ever so huggable and chewable organic sherpa antennae.

What I LOVE about Mee a Bee is the range of prints for boys, especially this blue and green spotted one - its trendy and scandanvia (plus all handmade)

You can read more about in on Jacqui's blog Blooming in Japan.

i Heart Ashley Meaders

Ashley Meaders never disappoints. Everything she makes and styles has a romantic and unique touch to every event. *sigh*  Think garlands, paper crafts, pegs, straws, stationery, flowers everything and anything a party desires.

Metallic Purses

These metallic animal clutch/purses are wicked cool by tsurubride. Pretty unique and make super cool gifts :D

Love the story behind the name: In the old Japanese tale The Crane Wife, a poor sail-maker finds an injured crane on his doorstep with an arrow through its wing. The man takes the crane in and nurses it back to health. After he releases the crane, a woman appears at his doorstep with whom he falls in love and marries. Because they need money, his wife offers to weave a wondrous sail that they can sell at the market, but only if he agrees never to watch her make it and never have her create another one. The sail sells for a tidy profit and they live comfortably. But the man gets greedy and gets his wife to weave another sail, which she does – again making him promise that this will be the last and that he will not watch her weave it. This sail is even more beautiful then the last, and sells for even more. But again, the man gets greedy and haves her make one more. As the previous times she makes him promise that this will be the last and that he will not watch her weave it. The man is too curious though and he eventually peeks in to see what she is doing and is shocked to discover that at the loom is a crane weaving the wind from her wings into the sails. The crane, seeing him, flies away and never returns.

Mum's Road Style...

I will admit it.. I have on 1 or 2 occasions been angry at a fellow driver on the road in my lifetime! This was all before kids of course! I don’t know what it is, but knowing that you’re driving around with precious cargo seems to take the ‘rage’ out of me. It doesn’t however for the other drivers!

I mean, im not driving Miss Daisy or anything, I stick to the speed limits and obey all the road signs, but I still find many drivers are in a hurry & drive way to fast! So this is a shout out to all those drivers out there…

Please think of the mothers and fathers driving their precious ones around.. Sitting on our bummer will not make us speed any faster, so take a deep breath & drive around us!

Glamourous Sesame St Party

Cydney's 2nd Sesame Street party is definitely more 'up market' birthday celebration - held at an exclusive clubhouse venue, letterpress invitations and large personalised window decals.

So another piece of decoration to add to the party - wall decals! If you check out Little Bird Decor (cause they have a large range of decals) you may find suitable decals to match with your birthday party scheme. Easily transferred back into the kids room!

My Colour Palette: Pink & Navy

We ADORE our new lillybee cardi (there is only 2 left!) and Candy Soirees's latest designs who has inspired this week's pink & navy colour palette.

{1} Lillybee cashmere cotton blend cardi {2} Jack Willis Pattison Tissues {3}Links of London Friendship Bracelet {4} Ruffle headband kaytee

AMITY INVITES GIVEAWAY!!

Totally party central here! Kim from award-winning Amity Invites has been generous enough to sponsor one kid's party pack for a giveaway. Choose from either the sweet Fairy package or action-packed Super Hero package. Each printed pack is ready-to-go with 12 double-sided invites, 12 double-sided cupcake toppers and 12 double-sided gift tags. Valued at $34.85. These colourful and comical characters will have your little kiddo pumped for their party.

To enter you must:
1. Be a facebook fan of Amity Invites
2. Be a facebook fan of Chic Mother & Baby
3. Email us how you would theme your child’s party around these invites. You may include links to help show us what you mean. The best one wins (judged by Kim and myself).

The winning entry will be published online with their party inspiration board that visualises their party ideas to life!

Did you know?

• Amity Invites will be at the Monkey Markets (Vic) on 26th September so mark the date on the calendar. 
• Amity Invites won 2010 ABIA Awards for No.1 Stationery Business in Victoria. Their winning percentage was a remarkable 99.27% which was voted by gorgeous brides.
• Has over 220 designs online - which includes kids party invites and wedding invites.
• Kim also owns and runs her graphic design studio - Creative Intrigue

Competition closes on Sunday 21st August, 2010 at 9pm. The winner will be announced on facebook on Monday 22nd August, 2010. Sorry, only for Australian residents.

Cravings: Whimsy & Spice

Did you know that you can buy food on Etsy?! I came across Whimsy & Spice and was completely mesmorised by the homemade marshmallows, biscuits, brownies and shortbread cookie photography. Very interesting spice flavoured treats. It's a Brooklyn based store - imagine if it ships internationally....

More Aussie Blog Heroines

Blogging is a great leisure activity and therapetic to share your thoughts and finds. And its free! There are plenty of resources available to help you start blogging via blogger platform or wordpress. Here are a few more empowering female Australian bloggers to add to your blog list. All these women make me want to become a better blogger!

Follow their blogs and let them know chic mother & baby sent you there :)

1. Eat Drink Chic - Amy Moss is the most stylish and generous blogger designer I have come across. She creates a lot of printable freebies that are shared all around the world. Everything she posts I want, it is all gorgeous and incredible. *Sigh* so envious of her talent.

2. My Life - My Loves by Sharnel, Mum & Party Stylist. A great read with lots of party inspiration. You'll also find her in the September issue of Peekaboo Magazine.

3. Lil Magoolie - (Australian-New Zealander) all mothers will be in shopping debt following her blog. She brings the world of colourful modern products to the Southern Hemisphere.

4. Little Sooti - another stylish party blogger turned party stylist about to launch some party goodies too.

If ever want some more reading, see our 'links we love'

Handmade Paper Flowers

Is there anything paper can't do? These handmade paper flowers look so real and would last forever! I am in absolute awe of these flowers by the gilded bee. I could never imagine paper craft work to become gorgeous flowers suited for any occassion.

Sweet Pink Lemonade Party

Over here at Chic Mother & Baby headquarters its party planning time as we have just locked in the theme for Noah's 1st birthday - "Noah's Ark". So been looking for lots and lots of inspiration when I stumbled across an adorable pink lemonade party.

The idea behind the 1st birthday theme is as sweet as the party - cause the mum craved lemonade throughout the pregnancy. Everything looks great - the refreshing lemonade drink station for adults and kids lemonade stande, handmade birthday girl party hat, party favours and what about the lemon cake. The dedicated mum Pam took a cake course to create this delicious looking cake. Yumm-o!

Must visit The Burrus Family's blog to see the rest of the party.

Tiny Teddy’s – Im addicted.

Does anyone else have trouble saying no to toddler treats like Tiny Teddys? I say to myself ‘Surely one won’t hurt the healthy eating plan?’ one always leads to about 10.. and well, I just have to stop buying them, as I have no willpower when it comes to these cute teddy bear biscuits.

Lucas doesn’t get biscuits very often, probably due to his mother’s addiction for them, which is a good thing, but I’d love hear of other mums food addictions. Or am I the only one?

Image from flckr

Extra Seed - Eco Shoes

Eco-friendly shoes doesn't have to mean weird hemp shoes or Birkenstocks. So it was great joy when Zerihun contacted me about their new Etsy store called Extra Seed (clever lovely name eh?). I adore the eco-friendly leather flats - looks very chic and comfortable to wear.

These shoes are a creative solution to recycling spare fabrics and materials. The soles are made from recycled car tyre tube. How cool is that?

I hope this trend of choosing socially conscious and organic fashion wear continues to grow real big - that is why I love reading Peppermint Magazine, Growing Up Green & Petite Eco Kids.

Meet My Little Jedi

Meet Vesna owner of My little jedi, mum to Aniken and a great friend of the chic mother & baby blog. Her range of fairytale and kawaii characters, stationery and adorable gifts keeps growing and growing. She also sources cute stationery like the fruit memo pads from around the globe. You'll find Vesna active on facebook and her blog, you'll sure become more of a shop-o-holic :)

1. How did my little jedi come about? “My little jedi” label was born from my love of cards, beautiful paper and passion for all things pretty. To sum up my style ~ A delicate mix of girly & vintage with just the right amount of a modern & whimsical touch. The inspiration behind the name comes from my gorgeous 11 month old son Aniken {name is from Star Wars}. I loved the name from the minute my husband suggested it to me, it’s very unique. That is how “My little jedi” was born.

2. Whats your favourite product from your store? I love the apple & pear fruit memo pads. I have 2 sitting on my desk starring at me; they look so delicious, good enough to eat. ☺

3. What is your favourite colour palette at the moment? I’m loving red/pink/grey at the moment. I have recently re-vamped my logo with this colour palette and I absolutely love it!

4. Where do you get most of your handmade inspiration from? The online world is such an incredible resource full of eye-candy and inspiration. I can spend hours looking online and seeing gorgeous designs & often feel overwhelmed by the amount of inspiration that is available via fashion & craft blogs, etsy & magazines. Also the new wave of WAHM's and their amazing ideas are so inspiring to me.

I swoon over so many gorgeous paper designs featured on blogs and love sharing them with my blog readers! I’m obsessed with paper doilies, bold colours, paisley patterns, vintage art, fairytale books…all in moderation, of course ;)

5. What's next for My little jedi? My goal is to grow my business and still be happy doing what I do. I hope to inspire others in the process, to start their own business. I have so many new ideas and designs in mind and I look forward to making them a reality. I spend many late nights creating new designs; in the hope that one day I could focus on ‘My little jedi’ on a full time basis and would get to work from home with my little boy by my side. I would eventually like to start becoming more diverse in the pieces I create, and maybe one day open my own boutique, featuring not just my work but other designs as well. My little jedi business has done well in such a short amount of time. I would just like to see it continue to succeed in the years to come.

6. Whats your day to day like? Where do I start! I get woken up by little man Aniken, poking my eyes or pulling my hair. We spend time together playing or going for a walk until its time for him to have a nap & I try to get most of my designs/orders done while he is asleep and at night after he goes to bed.  I am a night owl; I spend many hours on my laptop, emailing suppliers, sourcing new products and processing/packing orders.

There are definitely not enough hours in a day, trying to balance spending time with my son, a household & business to run. I feel very blessed to have the help of my gorgeous mum.

7. Are you finding the social networking sites like facebook, twitter and your blog driving most of your business? Definitely, social networking through Facebook, Twitter, Blogger & Skout have been amazing tools for me to connect with peers and stay updated on the latest happenings in the handmade world & drive my business. My little jedi has almost 700 facebook fans & as soon as I post something on my blog or facebook I get orders for that item within a day. Providing free advertisement for my business and get my brand known out there has been fantastic. I also love all the amazing & talented people I have met who share a passion for the same things that I do. I feel very fortunate to have my designs exposed on so many lovely blogs like Chic Mother & Baby, Handmade Kids, Little Sooti, Little Paper Lane, Rock Paper Scissors, Anika and few others. 

Congrats my little jedi for appearing in this issue Shop til you drop for kids !!!!!

Get Well Soon

Poor Vanessa from Best Buys 4 Baby (where I am now a regular blog contributor) is unwell with gall stones?!?! It must suck - so I have just whipped up really quickly a 'Get Well Soon' image so when she does get back to her emails, it will bring a smile to her face (I hope!)

My Colour Palette: Khaki

I have been seeing Olive/Khaki in many fashion magazines lately as they start to showcase the next season, like Country Road's spring/summer 2010 collection. Team khaki with neutrals for that summer look.

1. FreshBaked Aviator Jacket 2. Country Road 3. Run Scotty Run Birdie Pant 4. Apple & Bee Organic Nappy Bag 5. Vintage Chrissy Handmade Headband

Meet Tracy Lau

I fell in love with Tracey's Flying High Kite Party for her boy's 1st birthday party that I had to get in touch with Tracey for a guest feature. Her images of her family, food and events are just so breathtaking! She'll knock you off your feet - a mum of 5 with a documents her musings on her blog, with a talent in photography and styling!

1.  How did Tracey Lau Art & Soul come about?
The name Tracey Lau Art & Soul is a reflection of who I am, what I do and where it comes from.  For me, what I do, is a form of art, and an expression of how I see the world.  As a person I would say I am quite soulful, I feel and think deeply, and it would be my greatest desire to create work that comes from my heart and my soul and, in turn, impacts upon yours.  I began the blog as a place to express my heart and consolidate and record what I do as well as a creative outlet, encouraged by my Doctor as a way to assist in recovery from Post Natal Depression.

I dreamed that one day my little blog would one day turn into my business, where I could take what I live and breathe and do it for a living...and that dream is slowly coming true.

2.  Tell us a bit about yourself.
Well I am married, to an incredibly generous, supportive man who I would, without hesitation, call my very best friend.  I am so blessed to have five children - three boys, and two girls, and they make my days full and rich.

I absolutely love what I do...it almost feels like I couldn't contain it even if I tried.  I think the greatest gift that I take away from it all, whether it be taking photos or styling an event, or even simply entertaining at home, is the opportunity to make another person feel really special.  I love reaching out, in the way that I know, and saying...I see you!

3.  What's your favourite photo shoot so far?
I don't know that I could pick a favourite shoot, but I do fall in love with particular photos from each shoot.  As I look back over photos that I have taken I find myself smiling and feeling warm in my soul...that is what I would want to give to other people.

4.  What challenges have you come across as a photographer (like un co-operative kids)?
This is where having so many children really comes in handy.  My children all have such different personalities and my youngest was an amazingly difficult baby to shoot.  Having to deal with this personally, makes it easier for me to deal with professionally. You really need to be able to face a wide
variety of circumstances and roll with it...since that is my life most days, it all seems normal to me.

5.  What's next for Tracey Lau?
I am busy working behind the scenes for the "official" launch of my Photography and Styling Business as well as my Online store. Things are very, very busy over at my little home.

6.  What would be some "ideal" themes you'd love to shoot?
Well I have an unexplainable, insane love of France, so setting up a shoot with a distinct French flavour would be something I would absolutely love to do. I have a few themes coming up, but then I might be giving too much away...maybe I will just say, stay tuned!

See more of her photography at Tracey Lau Art and Soul

Strawberry Party

The sweetest party on earth!

Every detail I love about a party.

1. Striped straws
2.  Tissue Pom Poms/Flowers
3. Party Hats
4. Delicious Cake
5. Candy Jars
6. Glass Bottled Drinks
7. Cupcakes
8. Biscuit party favours

Via Cakewalk

Free Corner Bookmark

Enjoy these free bold retro corner bookmarks! Download the template here. You just need to cut it to DL size and then fold it to a triangle. Use a knife to score the triangle edge for a better fold.

A Wagon Party

A wagon party is a simple outdor idea for a boy's birthday party. Wagons are a great container to hold all the party favours together and the red & blue colour palette is 'boyish' and easy to work with. 

You can imagine all the wagon race games! Love the sangaria for the adults - now that is a p-a-r-t-y!

For all the details.

Soooo Pinkalicious!

You love pink? Your baby girl loves pink? Then you'll be inspired by Little Sooti's stylish pink party for her baby girl Zoe. Look at all the styling for the party - cupcake toppers, labels, party hats and gift bags. The candy served in glass make it an elegant party. What great handmade pom pom chandelier by mum Thetis Sardo! See all the pink party details here.

Make sure you visit Little Sooti for stylish party ideas.


Very chic!

Luxury Kiddies in Lillybee

New to Chic Mother & Baby store is the Lillybee range from the U.S.A. The range is luxe cause its a cotton & cashmere blend and pretty stripes but at an affordable price! Super soft quality cotton and cashmere makes you wish these came in adult sizes (I do!) especially the pink and navy cardi.

What caught my eye from Black Eyed Green are these eco-friendly green hangers. As such, every lillybee purchase comes with a bonus eco-friendly cardboard hanger to hang your new Lillybee knit.

Free Sailor Nautical Tags

Inspired by our 'ships ahoy' post, new striped twine from Paper Scissors Rock Stationery and last week's colour navy and green palette, I have designed some free sailor nautical gift tags for everybody to use.

This is a preview of the downloadable free gift tags. Download here.

Ships Ahoy

Can never get enough of nautical inspired products doesnt always have to be all stripes - think anchors and ropes. I LOVE the Sagaform Paper Boat Serving Set - comes with oars!! 

{1} Sagaform Boat Serving Set {2} Knotty Coasters {3} Alex & Ant Ship L/S Tee {4} Bliss Nautical Clips {5} Alex & Charli Boat Shoe {6} New Lillybee Cashmere Blend Striped Vest {7} Thomas Paul Anchor Pillow

My Colour Palette: Pink & Purple

We hope everyone has enjoyed our nursery posts last month. Our blogging posts are back to normal now. This week's colour palette pink & purple is for the girly girl!


{1} Run Scotty Run Striped Paw Print TopPants &
{2} New Bowtique Felt Collection - Owl Clip {3}Babu Merino Wool Pink Blanket {4}Lilac Apples Little Messenger Bag by Mee-a-Bee {5} My Sweet Prints "Keep Quiet the Baby's Sleeping" print {6} Handmade Cupcake Toppers by Montresor.

Pi'lo

Over at Chic Mother & Baby is party planning season with Noah's 1st Birthday coming up - my challenge is to present a couple of party moodboards to settle on the theme. Kristy's keen on Noah's Ark, with the play on the name. So do leave a message if you have any inspiration.

If you are after a soft and elegant kids party I suggest you head ove to Pi'lo! All goodies are made from recycled and eco-friendly materials.